The Valdosta Daily Times — Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) announced Monday that he will seek another term in the United States Congress and will not make a run for Georgia governor.
Considered a likely candidate by many in the state, Kingston made the decision to remain in Congress following the announcement by Georgia Sen. Eric Johnson that he will seek the governor’s seat now that Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has withdrawn from the race for health reasons.
“There was a full slate until Casey backed off, and then everyone began looking at all of the candidates brand new,” Kingston said in an interview Monday.
“A lot of people had been asking me if I was going to run, but when Eric (Johnson) announced, I decided not to make the run.”
Kingston said Johnson is his son’s godfather and as a fellow Savannahian, he knows Johnson will represent the interests of South Georgia as well as he could himself.
“He was running for lieutenant governor, so it was natural for him to slip into the gubernatorial race. I enjoy Congress and I hated to leave anyhow to do it, but I think if he wins, we’ll have a good South Georgian in there.”
Kingston said if some of the other candidates, such as Karen Handel, John Oxendine, or Roy Barnes gets into office, the Atlantans won’t focus as much on the rest of the state.
“They wouldn’t discuss South Georgia, agriculture wouldn’t get discussed, and they don’t really understand the importance of the military outside Atlanta and how devastating it would be to other communities in the state if something happened to those bases.”
Kingston said he has not officially endorsed Johnson at this time, but he is supporting him and stated he will assist him in getting around to other parts of the state when he begins his campaign.
Johnson serves as the president pro tempore of the state senate, and as such his duties include chairing the Administrative Affairs Committee. He serves as co-chairman of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee and as vice chairman of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee. He is also a member of the Appropriations, Assignments, Ethics, Finance, Natural Resources and the Environment and Rules committees.
Kingston is currently in his ninth term serving the State of Georgia in Congress representing the First District. He is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and serves as the ranking member of the Agriculture Subcommittee and is a member of the Defense Subcommittee.
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